


Rise of Resistance

by Targling12



Category: Star Wars Resistance - Fandom, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Badass, Badass Women, Blood and Gore, Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Platonic Relationships, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:22:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25148401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Targling12/pseuds/Targling12
Summary: A prequel to my Story "Written in the Stars" Basically Resistance with Kira.
Kudos: 5





	1. The Recruit.

After having been shot at by the red TIE fighter, Kaz felt that he deserved to know a little bit more of what was going on.

He listened through the door, trying to make out what was being said.

“What are you doing?” A sharp female voice asked.

Kaz jumped away from the door with a yelp.

The young woman who had spoken was younger than him, and quite pretty. She had pale skin, chestnut hair, and gorgeous light purple eyes. The top she wore was cropped, revealing a lithe and muscled torso, but that was not what drew Kaz’s attention.

She had a horrible scar on her stomach, right where her belly button should have been.

“I asked you a question.” Her voice snapped Kaz out of his silence.

“Uh, nothing.”

“Try again.” The girl told him, her voice quickly approaching a growl.

“Looking for Poe.”

“Looking for, or  _ eavesdropping _ on?” The girl asked him.

“Go easy, Kira.” Poe, emerging from the room with a tight smile.

The girl glanced between Poe and Kaz, before she shrugged.

“Kazuda Xiono, Kirana Valarien. Kirana Valarien, Kazuda Xiono.” Poe introduced.

“Hi.” Kaz tried. The girl nodded in acknowledgement, before turning to Poe.

“So what was the intel?” She asked him.

“It confirms that the First Order is planning an attack on the New Republic.”

“Then we have to stop them!” Kaz blurted.

Poe nodded.

“My orders are to figure out where this attack is coming from, and when.”

“And I’m going to help!” Kaz insisted. “Whatever the job is that you give the Ace pilots. You know. The Ace pilot job.”

Poe raised an eyebrow. “Can you believe this kid BB-8?” He asked.

The little droid beeped in response.

“Yeah he believes me! BB-8 knows that the Resistance needs Kazuda Xiono!” Kaz continued. “Please, Poe. I’ve got… whatever that thing is. I mean, you said it yourself.” He paused. “And I grew up in the New Republic. It’s my home. It’s everything I know. I want the chance to fight for it.”

Poe glanced at BB-8. Then back to Kaz.

“Okay, Kazuda Xiono. You want in, you’re in.” He smiled. “I’ve got a mission for you.”

“Yes!”

“Hang on. Are you serious?” Kirana demanded. Kaz had almost forgotten about her.

“Kira, just hear me out.” Poe said, as if trying to calm an angry Nexu.

“Um, guys?” Kaz interrupted. “I have to contact someone… if that’s okay.”

Kira was furious. It had taken her years of training to be given a mission, and now, Poe was giving it to some boy who had spent literally two hours with the Resistance?

“You promised  _ I _ could go.” She snapped. “Now you’re sending him?”

“Kira, I’m sending him  _ with you _ . It’ll be good for you to have some backup.”

“Stop treating me like a child!”

“Kira, you’re nineteen.” Poe said softly.

“Exactly! By law, I’m an adult!” She snarled. “Start treating me like one!”

“He’s going with you.”

“He has no training!”

“Which means he’ll be perfectly innocuous.”

“Which means I have to watch him too! I am not a babysitter, Poe.”

“Kira. Calm down. You two are going to work as a team.”

“Poe, I worked my ass off in training, so that I could be sent on a mission like this. Why did I have to, and he doesn’t?”

“Kira. You were seventeen, and had recently lost your brother. On an undercover mission.”

“That was _ totally _ different. He  _ actually joined a Pirate Gang! _ It’s not like I’m joining the First Order.”

“Kira-”

“Is it because I’m a girl?” She asked him.

“What? Of course not!” Poe looked genuinely hurt by her comment.

“I don’t mean you’re sexist. I mean, do you feel you have to protect me because I’m a girl?”

“I feel I have to protect you because you’re my friend! And because I promised Naron I would.” Poe sighed. “If he were here-”

“Well he’s  _ not _ here, is he!” Kira barked, grief constricting her heart. “Is he.” She repeated, swallowing hard.

“No, Kira.” Poe’s voice was gentle. “He’s not.” He sighed. “You can watch out for each other.”

The door hissed open, and Kazuda walked out.

“I’m in.” He smiled. “So, can I call you Kira?”

“Yeah. Sure.” Kira told him, shrugging. In all honesty, he rather reminded her of Naron.

“Great. Please call me Kaz.”

“Okay, Kaz.” She said calmly. “Let’s go.”

Kira was quiet the whole trip to Castilon. She listened to the briefing, and then went about cleaning her rifle.

Kaz, on the other hand, seemed rather nervous about being a spy, and insisted that he was a pilot.

“Trust me kid, you’ll be both.” Poe paused. “Now, let me make something clear. You are equals, neither one of you is in charge here.”

Kaz nodded and Kira rolled her eyes.

“There’s the Colossus.” Poe said, smiling.

“The Colossus? I’ve heard stories about this place! It’s a hangout for Star Pilots! Ex-Empire, ex-Rebellion, Pirates, anyone who wants to go fast!”

“That’s right Kaz, some of the best Pilots in the Galaxy are here, racing, gambling, just waiting to get into trouble. Someone here is working for the First Order, and we’re going to find out who.”

As the ship landed, Kira wrapped her sniper rifle in a long canvas bag, and stood up, lilac eyes staring straight ahead.

As they stepped out into the pleasant breeze, Kaz heard someone shouting.

“I changed my mind! I’ll race! I’ll race.” Someone shouted, and Kaz watched in shock as the unfortunate man was thrown over the edge.

“What was that?” He asked. 

“What was what?” Poe replied.

“The throwing… and the falling?”

“Don’t think about it.” Kira told him calmly.

The more Kaz looked, the more he saw the harsh way of life of this platform.

Poe turned to look at them. “You two stay here. I’m going to find my contact.” He paused. “If anyone asks, you’re best friends looking for jobs as mechanics.”

“Got it.” Kaz agreed. Kira nodded, glancing around the platform.

A trio of ships sped overhead, and Kaz grinned. 

“Wow! Look at them go.”

“Yes… Very cool.” Kira muttered, still looking around.

“Like I said.” Poe smiled. “The best.”

“When I was a kid, that’s what I always wanted.” Kaz told him. “To be the best.” 

Kira glanced over at him, her eyes softer than they had been. “And in my mind, I was.” Kaz went on. “Kazuda Xiono. The best Star Fighter Pilot in the Galaxy.”

“Hello, Kazuda Xiono, the best Star Fighter Pilot in the Galaxy.” A new voice said. Kaz turned as a male Nikto, about his age, shook his hand. 

“It is so nice to meet you.” He went on, and then turned to Poe. “Hello Poe Dameron, it has been a lengthy amount of time since I last encountered you.”

“Right. Great.” Poe said. “Kaz, Kira, this is Neeku, Neeku, this is Kira and Kaz.”

Neeku turned to Kira.

“I have never seen a human with purple eyes before.” He said, vigorously shaking her hand. “They are very nice to look at.”

“Um, thanks.” Kira said. “It’s a genetic defect, actually, runs in my family.”

“Are you the best in the galaxy at anything?”

“No, trust me. I’m nothing special.” The girl replied.

“Yeah, so, Neeku, these two will be hanging around for a while.”

“From what exactly will they be hanging?” The Nikto asked.

Kira and Kaz exchanged a glance, seeming to be in agreement for the first time.

“They, uh, never mind. We’re going to Aunt Z’s, come on.”

Kira almost laughed when she realized that people really believed that Kaz was the best Star Pilot in the galaxy.

It wasn’t that she thought he was bad. He’d survived the Red TIE, so he obviously had some skill.

Besides, he was certainly better than her. Kira hadn’t been on a speeder since the crash that almost claimed her life at sixteen, and she very seldom piloted an X-wing.

She could get by, she supposed.

Neeku’s voice brought her back to the present.

“Kira, Kaz, this is Aunt Z, proprietor of this fine establishment. Aunt Z, we are looking for my boss, Jarek Yeager.”

Aunt Z said nothing, just slid a cup over to a dark-skinned man just a few seats away.

“Poe Dameron.” The man said.

“Yeager.” Poe replied, and headed over to see the man.

“You showing up always means trouble for me.”

“I knew you missed me.”

“Whatever it is you need, the answer is no.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet.” Poe smirked. “Yeager, this is Kira.”

Yeager nodded curtly.

“And this is Kaz.”

“Oh I think everybody already knows the best Star Fighter Pilot in the galaxy.”

“Uh, yeah, sorry about that, it’s just a misunderstanding.”

“I think Poe is the one with the misunderstanding.” Yeager said calmly.

“Okay, let’s have a talk.” Poe said. “You two, stay out of trouble. I’ll be back soon.”

Kira watched him depart, before turning, and heading back to the bar.

“Where are you going?” Kaz asked her.

“To get something to drink.” She replied.

“What should I do?”

Kira shrugged. “That’s up to you, I’m not your mother. Just stay out of trouble.” She told him, and turned away.

She felt a twinge of guilt for her harshness. He was just trying to be friendly, after all. But Kira needed time, needed to adjust to all of this.

For now, it was best she remained distant.


	2. Playing with Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaz has to compete in a race.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter is super long.

_Usually_ , Kira thought. _When one says ‘stay out of trouble’_ **_you do not start a fucking bar figh_** _ **t**_.

But, that was what her ‘ _teammate_ ’ had done.

On the bright side, perhaps this would convince Poe that the boy should just go home. That _she_ was the qualified one here.

On the down side, Poe would probably get mad at _her_ if she didn’t go help the idiot.

Kira heaved a sigh, and picked up her bar stool.

Kaz was sure the Klantooinian was going to crush his skull.

He hadn’t even _started_ as a spy, and he was about to die. In a _bar fight_ , of all things.

A metallic _clang_ caught his attention, and Kaz opened his eyes as the Klantooinian staggered sideways, and toppled to the floor.

Standing over him, breathing hard, metal bar stool in hand, was Kira. 

She ducked as a cup flew at her, and bared her teeth in fury.

“Kazuda.” She growled. “I will _so_ kill you for this.”

Pulling a pistol from her bag, she fired into the ceiling twice.

The whole bar fell silent.

“Everyone calm the fuck down!” She barked, just as Yeager and Poe came sprinting in.

“What is going on here?” Yeager demanded.

Kaz cringed, waiting for Kira to tell Poe how it was all his fault. Instead, she shrugged.

“I didn’t see how it started. I was just trying to finish it.”

“You just hit that man over the head with a chair!” Poe exclaimed.

Kira nodded. “But I saved Kaz, didn’t I?”

“Aunt Z, couldn’t you stop this?” Yeager asked.

“Are you kidding? I was too busy taking bets on how fast the kid would get his head squished.” She smirked. “Of course, no one was counting on that spitfire.” She said, nodding towards Kira.

Yeager sighed.

“Bolza. What happened here?”

The Klantooinian rubbed his head.

“This skinny gorb threw a dart in my back end.”

“I can explain!” Kaz yelped, pushing forward. “This all started because Neeku said that I was the best Star Fighter Pilot in the Galaxy, which just isn’t true.”

“Allow me to fathom this, Kazuda.” Neeku said, emerging from under a table. “Am I correct in realizing that you are not the best pilot around us?”

“You took what I said and just ran with it!”

“I did not run anywhere.”

“See! You’re doing it again!”

Neeku lowered his gaze. “I’ll just be outside pondering the weight of your deception.”

Kaz sighed, and followed the Nikto out.

Kira watched them go, still annoyed about the brawl.

Yeager, it seemed, was feeling the same way.

“You said that they wouldn’t be any trouble Poe.”

Kira got the distinct impression that she was not a part of this conversation. Scowling, she headed outside to sulk.

She was just heading out the door when Neeku rushed past her, a rather frantic looking Kaz behind him.

“Attention everyone!” The Nikto shouted. “Kaz wants to challenge in tomorrow’s race!”

“He does?” Kira asked.

“I do?” Kaz questioned.

Aunt Z looked very curious. “A new challenger?”

“Indeed.” Neeku turned to Kaz. “I have fixed your problem.”

Kira looked up at Poe, eyes wide with disbelief.

“What do we do?” She hissed.

“There’s nothing we can do.”

“There must be something!” Kaz said, coming over.

“No, kid, there isn’t. You challenged, you race.” Yeager said calmly.

“But there has to be a way to explain.”

“Explain to Aunt Z. She takes all the bets. If there are no bets, she doesn’t make money, if she doesn’t make money, she has Bolza throw you over the side to feed the fish.”

“Yeah. I think I saw that part.” Kaz said in defeat.

“Well, you have a strange way of blending in, Kaz.” Poe said calmly. “But hey, maybe making a big, crazy spectacle of yourself _will_ help you get to know everyone.” He chuckled. “I’m out of here, let me know how it goes.”

“Wait, what? You’re leaving me here?” Kaz yelped, and Kira sighed.

“That is the whole point of our being here.” She muttered.

“Hey, just do what we talked about. Send me those reports. Yeager will put you both up.  
“I haven’t agreed to that.” Yeager pointed out.

Kaz sighed. “Great.” 

Poe put his arm around the boy’s shoulder, and guided him out of earshot. Kira looked down as BB-8 followed.

“Well kid.” Yeager said from behind her. “You have one hell of a swing, I’ll give you that.”

Kira barked a laugh. “It comes from growing up with a brother.” as she said it, she noticed BB-8 rolling back inside, and sighed.

“I thought _I_ was the babysitter.” Kira said under her breath.

Kaz watched race, sighing as Yeager’s words sank in.

“Hey. You survived the Red Ace.” Kira’s voice surprised him. He turned to look at her. 

“Maybe you have a shot.” She offered. BB-8 bumped her leg.

“Well, what the fuck do you _want_ me to say BB?” She snapped.

Kaz sighed. “Look, Kira… I get that you don’t want me to be here with you. But I’m just trying to help.”

It was Kira’s turn to sigh. She joined him, looking out the window.

“I’ve waited years for this chance. I worked hard to get to where I am… And then Poe just lets you come along without having to prove yourself like I did.” She paused. “I sometimes feel that no one appreciates what I did to get this mission." 

Kaz sympathized with her on that. His father often made him feel the same way.

"I'd already been chosen." She said finally. “Poe had already said "Hey, if the Intel confirms our suspicions, you’re going on the mission." And then… I don’t know, maybe he second guessed himself." She shrugged. 

"Look, I'm not trying to steal this from you. The New Republic is my home, I just want to fight to keep it safe."

Kira nodded slightly, before following Yeager outside. 

For the first time, Kaz felt he understood his teammate. He, better than anyone, understood how it felt to have your accomplishments treated like they were nothing.

Yeager watched the two that Poe had made him responsible for. 

Poe had warned him that Kira may have a rather bad attitude. Something about how she felt like no one took her seriously.

Yeager half-smiled. Everyone who had seen her in the brawl took her seriously. Bolza would probably have a headache for days after the knock she gave him. As they watched the race, Yeager noted the discomfort in her eyes.

She only seemed to become more agitated as Kaz was announced as the new challenger.

That puzzled Yeager, as Poe had said she could fly an X-wing just fine.

“He’s going to get himself killed.” She said in a low voice.

Yeager raised an eyebrow at her concern. She didn’t even seem to particularly like Kazuda, but obviously, she didn’t want him racing.

Yeager felt just as concerned when the boy picked Torra Doza to race against.

“That was a bad choice. Wasn’t it?” Kira said under her breath.

Yeager nodded once, and Kira cursed.

Hearing Kaz’s odds of dying did nothing to improve Kira’s mood. Sure, she didn’t really want him there with her, but she certainly didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.

“I don’t even have a ship!” Kaz exclaimed. “What am I supposed to do, flap my arms and fly?”

“We have a ship you can use.” Yeager told him

Neeku perked up.

“You get the _Fireball!_ ”

“ _Fireball._ ” Kaz grinned. “That sounds fast.” He took a sip of his drink.

“Yeah, fast to explode.” Yeager replied, and Kaz choked. “It’s called the _Fireball_ because it has this habit of bursting into flames.”

“Only when you accelerate, or shift, or steer, or land.” Neeku said cheerfully.

“What?!” Kaz cried. “Even when you land?”

“Occasionally yes. Sometimes.” Neeku replied.

Kira sighed. “Is there anything that doesn’t make it catch fire?” 

“It’s actually a good ship, if we had time to get it up and running.”

“We can get it ready! I know we can.” Neeku, at least, was enthusiastic.

Seeing the _Fireball_ only stressed Kaz out further.

“That’s the _Fireball?_! It looks like an explosion with wings!”

BB-8 beeped in dismay.

“How many times has it blown up?”

“Only three times.” Neeku told him.

“Four.” Yeager corrected, not turning around.

“Ugh. This thing’s a disaster!” Kaz exclaimed.

“Disaster?” A new voice asked. Kaz turned as a dark skinned girl, around his age, appeared on the other side of the ship.

“You’ve never flown a better ship than this one, kid.” She told him, hopping down.

“Kid?” Kaz frowned. “Did she just call me kid?” 

Kira snickered. 

Yeager clapped the newcomer on the back. “This is Tam Ryvora, one of my mechanics.” He smiled slightly.

“Tam, meet our new employees, Kazuda Xiono and Kirana Valarien.”

Tam rolled her eyes.

“Another two mechanics?” She demanded, pushing Kaz aside. “We’re barely scraping by as it is.”

“I’m loaning the _Fireball_ to the boy, as a favor to someone.”

Tam turned her glare on Kaz, who waved nervously.

“You said if I could get the ship back in the air, I could have it.” She growled, turning back to Yeager.

“It’s not in the air yet, is it?” Yeager replied calmly.

Tam sighed.

“You know, I’m gonna take my break, before I say something I seriously regret.” She hissed, pushing Kaz slightly. “Get out of my way.”

 _And I thought Kira was bad._ Kaz thought with a sigh.

He turned towards the Fireball, trying to be optimistic.

“Maybe it’s not so bad.” He said. “It looks sturdy enough.”

Neeku nodded excitedly.

“Just needs a few bolts, some laser cutting, a little paint, touch up the gloss.” He said, leaning on the wing.

He was startled by something clattering to the ground.

“This is gonna take a lot of work.” Yeager sighed. “Bucket!” He called.

The droid that came over looked ancient. When it saw the part that had fallen in Kaz’s hand, it snatched it away, before bumping him so hard he fell backwards.

“Hey! Back off you box of bolts.”

Yeager chuckled. “This is my co-pilot, Bucket. Bought him when he was already a hundred years old. That old tech was built to last. Am I right, buddy?”

“The name fits him perfectly.” Kaz replied, and the droid smacked him in the face with the spare.

Torra Doza was rather curious about the new challenger, and as she headed down to Yeager’s shop, she was surprised to see her challenger’s companion sitting outside.

“You’re the Racer’s friend, right?” Torra said in a friendly tone.

The older girl snorted in disdain.

“If by ‘racer’ you mean ‘complete idiot’ then, yeah, you could say that.” She said, and Torra giggled.

“I’m Torra Doza.”

“Kira Valarien.” The girl’s polite smile did not quite reach her eyes.

“See you around, Kira.” Torra smiled, and headed inside.

  
  
  


Kira walked beside BB-8 on the way down to acquisitions, still thinking of Torra Doza’s words.

_‘No one’s ever survived racing against me.’_

_Stars Kazuda, you’ve really screwed the bantha, and it’s only been 10 hours since we started._

Kira sighed and followed Neeku into the acquisitions shop.

At the front desk, a pit droid trilled and banged a piece of metal against the counter.

Kira watched as a Grotto and Chad-fan appeared.

“Hello Flix. Hello Orka.” Neeku greeted.

“Hey Neeku, what can we do for you?” The Chad-Fan, Orka, replied.

“We are here to obtain parts for one of Yeager’s ships.”

“It’s not the _Fireball_ is it?”

“Yes. Yes it is.”

Both shopkeepers burst out laughing, and even the pit droid joined in.

Kira sighed.

“I’m afraid he’s serious.” She said.

The laughter died.

“Oh. Well that is most unfortunate.” Flix told her, taking the list she offered. “My, my. This is quite a voluminous list of parts.”

Kira glanced over at Kaz as Flix and Orka went about gathering items.

“So, I guess Yeager’s paying for all of this, right? Do you have his Credit disk?” Kaz asked.

“His credit disk?” Neeku began to laugh. “Of course not. You are the pilot. You will have to pay.”

Kaz’s day just kept on getting worse.

“What?! Me?! But I lost all my money! I don’t have anymore credits!”

Everyone went silent.

“What? You can’t pay?” Orka asked.

“Ah, no credits, no parts. No exceptions.” Flix added.

“Well, hold on.” Kira’s voice surprised Kaz. “I can pay for _some_ of it.”

“Orka.” Neeku interjected. “You and I have been friends for a long time. Please, help us.”

The Chad-fan sighed.

“Well, look… We can give you some second-hand parts, you know? But they’re, uh, they’re not worth much. But, just go grab us some lunch, okay? What about a nice, fat, juicy gorg, okay?” He smiled. “And then we’ll call it even, alright pal?”

Neeku immediately brightened up.

“Thank you, friend Orka! Thank you!”

“One gorg, coming up.” Kaz added, as he turned, he said under his breath, I hope.

As Kira paid for almost half of the parts, Orka smiled at her.

“You’re a nice girlfriend, you know that?”

“Oh, stars, I’m not Kazuda’s girlfriend.” She told him. “We’re just friends.”

“Good friends, clearly.”

 _Not really._ Her mind whispered.

“Yeah. Like siblings, actually. We met as kids, been watching him race for ages.”

“Is he any good?” Flix asked her.

“Yes.” Kira told them.

“As good as he claims?”

“No, but don’t tell him I said that.” She tried to smile.

“So, you a racer too?”

“No.” She replied, frantically making up a cover story. “I’m a singer. When I can be.” At least, if asked for proof, she had a decent voice.

“Really?” Flix asked her. “I used to dream of becoming a Cantina singer.”

That was certainly _not_ the first thing she would have guessed about Flix.

“So, how’d you two end up here anyways?”

“Kaz and I were looking for jobs. As mechanics… so that he can buy a new ship to race.” She shrugged.

She was saved any further explanation by Kaz and Neeku’s return.

“Hey guys, lunch is… served?” Kaz frowned. “You already have food?”

“What? You took forever.” Orka told him. “But we’ll take that gorg anyway.”

Kaz set the crates down with a groan. 

“Uh, what’s with the parts?” Tam asked. “You’re gonna fix my ship, with this junk?”

“We’re gonna have to reinforce all of these stabilizers before we can even get started.” Yeager agreed.

“Well, I-”

“This is an absolute mess.” Tam snapped.

“Do you know what it took to get this stuff?!” Kaz spluttered. He was met with stony expressions. “Ugh, even when I do something right, I do it wrong.” He groaned, heading outside.

“Kaz.” Kira called, but he ignored her.

Kira watched him go, and sighed.

 _Why should he listen to you? You’ve been nothing but a bitch._ The ocean breeze seemed to whisper.

 _I had my reasons._ Kira thought to herself.

_Maybe. But he doesn’t know that._

It was after nightfall when BB-8 joined him.

“I thought I could handle anything.” Kaz told the little droid. “But things keep getting worse and worse.”

The little droid hummed in response. His presence was comforting, a counter balance to Kira’s harshness.

“My dad always did everything for me.” Kaz told him. “He thought he was giving me the life I wanted. But it was what he wanted for himself…”

BB-8 beeped softly.

“He never asked me what I wanted… Never gave me a choice.” Kaz stood up. “But tomorrow… It’s all me. And I’m gonna win, whatever it takes.”

Yeager walked beside the boy.

“I’ll be right here on the other side of this comm. And let me give you a piece of advice. Even though you have to race, you don’t have to win. You have a mission here for Poe.”

“Thanks Yeager.” Kaz agreed. “But I think I’ve got this.”

“Hey.” Kira called. “Good luck, Kaz.”

As the boy climbed into the cockpit, Kira looked at Yeager, her fingers tracing the scar on her stomach.

“You okay?” Yeager asked her.

She nodded curtly.

Kira knelt beside BB-8 as the _Fireball_ was lowered into the starting position.

“I feel sick, buddy.” She muttered, and the droid beeped in response.

Yeager watched the race with a calm demeanor. The kid was good.

“He might actually win.” Tam said in surprise. 

“Don’t push it too hard, Kaz.” Kira muttered.

Yeager agreed with the girl, Kaz couldn’t afford to push it.

“Kaz, take it easy. You push it any harder and the _Fireball_ will live up to its name.”

“I know what I’m doing.” Kaz replied.

“Listen to Yeager.” Kira snapped.

“I said, I know what I’m doing, Kira.” 

Kira rolled her eyes.

“Kaz, you have a choice, you can push it, and die, or you can survive to start your mission.”

“He backed off.” Tam said, sounding disappointed.

Yeager watched with a sigh as the _Fireball’s_ engines began to pour black smoke.

“Kriff.” Kira breathed. “ _Fuck!_ ”

“You were right, Yeager!” Kaz shouted, sounding terrified. “I didn’t back off in time.”

“Level it, Kaz.” Yeager told the boy.

He winced as the ship struck the hoop, and spiraled into the ocean below.

Kaz woke up with a pounding headache.

He sat up, wincing.

“What happened?” 

“You survived.” Yeager told him.

“With barely a scratch.” Neeku added. “You truly are an amazing pilot, Kazuda Xiono.”

“I won?”

“No.” Kira snapped, scowling at him.

“Definitely not.” Tam agreed.

“You lost. But, you lost well.” Yeager told him.

“I’m so glad you didn’t explode, Kaz!” Torra told him.

“I think it’s time you, me, and Kira had a talk.” Yeager said.

  
  


Now that the anxiety had faded, Kira was furious. _He’d better not be this reckless on our mission._ She thought, fuming.

Kaz’s voice brought her back to the present.

“This is a tough place. I’m not sure I’m cut out for it.”

“I’m not sure either.” Yeager agreed. “But Poe thinks you are.” He paused. “Look, Poe and I go way back, and I trust his judgment, and as a favor to him, I’ll give you both a place to stay. You can work as mechanics on my team. Earn your keep like everyone else.” He turned to face them.

“But when it comes to your mission as spies, I don’t want anything to do with it.”

“Understood.” Kaz told him, and Kira nodded in agreement.

“Looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

“If the First Order is here, we’ll all have to make some difficult choices in the future.” Yeager told him, and headed back inside.


	3. The Triple Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A pirate gang attacks to Colossus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we see a bit more of Kira's feelings and personality in this chapter.

The clouds were dark and threatening, matching Kira’s mood.

She was still mad at Kaz for crashing.

And mad that she’d thrown up in front of her new… fellow mechanics. When under extreme stress, she’d throw up. She hated that about herself, that weakness. 

Despite her harshness with the boy, she  _ did _ care about his safety, at least to the extent a teammate should.

But she was concerned about how naive and untrained he was.

_ Would you rather everyone be a miserable bitch like you?  _ Her thoughts whispered.

With a sigh, she headed inside.

Kaz was unpacking what little he’d brought.

“If I’d known I wouldn’t be going home again, I’d have brought more stuff.” He told BB-8, as he pulled out a trophy. “But, I guess this will just have to make things feel like home.”

He turned to the droid.

“So, about starting the mission, BB-8, how do I spy on the First Order? What am I even looking for?”

The droid beeped out a response.

“Mechanic?” Kaz objected. “I’m supposed to be a spy.”

“Keep your voice down, before all of Castilon hears you.” Kira’s voice startled Kaz. She strode past without stopping.

“She hates me, doesn’t she?”

BB-8 denied it with a chirp.

“But she’s always so harsh with me!”

The droid burbled again, his response surprising Kaz.  _ Not as harsh as she is with herself. _ He’d said.

Before he could ask what the droid meant, Neeku called out to him.

The Nikto cut off as he saw Kaz’s bunk.

“Wow! Look at all your fabulous possessions Kaz! You have so much stuff.” He pointed to the trophy. “What is that?”

“That’s my lucky trophy Neeku. It reminds me of home.” 

He was surprised as Neeku picked it up.

“I once had a pet named lucky that reminded me of home.” He told Kaz. “But then it died. And then I ate it, which was supremely delicious. But then I had a severe case of-”

“Whoa.” Kaz cut him off. “That’s great, Neeku.” He said, plucking the trophy from the Nikto’s hands. “I really don’t need to hear anymore.”

“Kaz!” Yeager called.

As Kaz went over, he saw the box of parts Yeager was holding.

“I have my first assignment for you.”

As Yeager explained, Kaz felt his stomach sink.

“I’m a pilot, BB-8.” He complained to the droid. “I only fly ships, I don’t know anything about fixing them.”

Kira sighed as she sorted through parts.

Kaz was about as subtle as a herd of banthas.

Luckily, Neeku seemed oblivious to his probing about the First Order.

“I wonder what Stormtroopers look like under those helmets.” Kaz tried.

_ They look like us.  _ Kira thought, irritated.  _ I mean, what does he expect? _

She was startled out of her thoughts by Neeku yelping. The Nikto pulled himself off the floor. 

“Um, Kaz, I was hoping you could pass me the sub-loop spanner this time? Because I asked for the sub-loop spanner, the non sub-loop spanner that you handed me.”

“Sorry! Sorry, my fault!” The boy yelped, holding out something to Neeku. “My mind was on spying. I mean flying!”

The Nikto smiled, and grabbed a different tool.

Kira rolled her eyes at Kaz’s carelessness.

“What is it with you?” Tam demanded, clearly annoyed. “Have you ever worked on a ship before?”

“Well, um… I have a lot of experience working  _ new _ ships.” Kaz told her. “Not these old, cobbled together mishmashes.”

“Where did you say you were from again?” Tam asked coolly.

“I, uh, used to work on Coruscant.” Kaz said quickly. Kira sighed.  _ Of all the planets you could have picked, you pick my homeworld? _

“At a ship factory.” Kaz went on.  _ Oh, this is getting better by the second.  _ “Of new ships.”

“A factory job on Coruscant? You expect us to believe that you graduated from the Mechanic’s Academy?” 

“Mechanic’s Academy? No! I’m self taught. Obviously.”

“Yeah, it’s obvious alright.” Tam growled. “How about you obviously get me a new set of Plasma bolts?”

As Kaz headed off, Tam turned to Kira.

“And what about you?”

“I’m also from Coruscant. No, I did not graduate from the Mechanic’s Academy. No, I don’t have experience working on ships.”

“Then why are you here?” Tam snarled.

Kira shrugged. “Kaz is my friend. He wants to race, so I came with him.” Kira told her. “There’s nothing left for me there anyway.”

Tam’s expression softened slightly. “No family?”

“No. Kaz is all I have.”

“But you seem so… angry with him.”

“We’re having a fight.” Kira replied. “But he’s still my best friend.”

Payday had been far less than Kaz had hoped, and as he walked down to Acquisitions, all he could think of was spying. So, he’d come up with the plan to spy on the way down, just take a small detour.

As he crouched behind a crate, listening to a pair of Snivvians, he was sure he had something.

As the conversation progressed, he realized that they were betting on the races, and he sighed, he’d been so sure this time.

“Hey! What are you looking at?” One of the Snivvians growled, as Kaz turned to BB-8.

Suddenly, he was yanked into the air. 

“I said, what are you looking at?” The Snivvian repeated.

“Hey. Hey! Stop!” A new voice shouted. The Snivvian released Kaz, as the Aleena from Aunt Z’s arrived.

“That’s the kid who lost to me at darts! You never paid me!”

“Uh. Here’s a downpayment.” Kaz tried, offering his earnings.

The Aleena stared.

“Oh, A joke huh? While I ain’t laughing.” He snapped, smacking Kaz’s hand.

Kaz shoved the tray of tools off of a crate, and took off, calling for BB-8.

He could hear the Aleena shouting behind him.

BB-8 squealed urgently.

“I’m following! I’m following.”

Unfortunately, so were the Snivvians.

As Kaz turned the corner, he thought he’d caught a break. Unfortunately, he didn’t watch where he was going.

The Aleena cackled triumphantly.

“You can’t escape old Grevel, kid.” He said, as the two Snivvians caught up, and hauled Kaz to his feet.

As they dragged him into a corridor, Kaz could only hope that he would survive this.

The jostling knocked his trophy free from his pocket.

“Hey.” Kaz snapped. “Give me that.”

“This is made of pure Aurodium. Do you have any idea how rare this stuff is?”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s mine.”

“This would more than cover what you owe me. With Interest.”

“Give it back.” Kaz hissed, struggling. “Let me go!”

“I think he’s getting a little angry, Grevel.” The male snivvian grunted, a cruel glint in his eyes.

“Drop him right now.” A familiar voice demanded, and everyone present looked up at Kira.

She had her left arm extended, blaster pistol in hand.

“Now. As in,  _ right this second. _ ” She hissed.

“Or what, girly?” Grevel laughed. “You gonna shoot me.”

Kira never took her eyes off him, she just flicked the safety off with her thumb, tightening her fingers on the trigger.

“It wouldn’t be the first time.” She said coldly.

At that moment, Kaz thought he might have loved Kira more than anyone else in the Galaxy.

For a moment, everyone was still.

“I’ve done this before.” Kira repeated, her voice low, and threatening. “I’ll do it again.”

The Snivvians released Kaz.

“Now leave.” She snarled. 

As Kira watched the thugs depart, she felt a flicker of satisfaction. 

She  _ loved  _ putting bullies in their place.

“Uh. Thanks Kira.” Kaz said sheepishly. Kira shrugged.

“You better get to Acquisitions now.” She told him. As he left, she allowed herself a sigh.

_ Poe, why didn’t you leave it to me? _

As she arrived back at the shop, she was met with Yeager’s scowl.

“Where have you been, and where is Kaz?”

“He’s at Acquisitions.” 

“And where were you?”

“Making sure he got there.”

Yeager lowered his voice. “Were you in a fight?”

“Stand off, actually. Nothing actually came of it.”

“You aren’t supposed to carry that on the platform without a permit.” He told her, nodding to the blaster. 

“I doubt Grevel will report me.” She replied dryly.  _ Besides, you’ve seen my sniper rifle. Do you really think that I would go unarmed? _

Yeager was not appeased.

“If anyone finds out who you really are…”

“I’m on my own. Got it.” Kira said calmly.

Kaz sighed as Yeager walked away.

The latest scolding had put him down, and he could not help but wonder if Yeager disliked him too.

As he headed outside, Kira approached him.

Kaz sighed, in no mood for her anger as well.

“Don’t feel too bad.” She said, surprising him. “He’s mad at me too.”

“Why is he mad at you?”

“For running off to find you.”

“Yeah. About that, thanks.”

She shrugged, and headed off.

As Kaz sat down on a crate, he turned to BB-8.

“Wanna know why this thing is lucky, BB-8?” He asked.

The droid beeped in reply.

“It’s from the first race I ever won.” He told him. “My dad didn’t want me to compete. Said I wasn’t ready. But I proved him wrong that day.” The boy paused. “And, like it or not, that’s what I have to do here. I have to learn to be a spy.”

“Hey, kid.” A new voice said. Kaz turned to look at the newcomer. “Storm’s coming. Better get inside.”

“I’m fine.” Kaz told him. “A little rain doesn’t bother me.”

The Rodian chuckled.

“It’s gonna be a triple dark.”

“Triple Dark?” Kaz queried. “That’s the second time I’ve heard that today. What does that mean, anyway?”

“It’s a type of storm. Low visibility… Pirates sometimes use them to attack the station.”

“Oh, no wonder Hallion was in such a hurry. He wanted to leave before the storm.” Kaz realized.

“I hope he and his friend Kragan made it out okay.”

The Rodian chuckled.

“Not to worry. Kragan  _ loves _ triple darks.”

“What?”

“You know? Kragan Gorr? The pirate.”

Kaz gaped.

“Hallion was a spy. A pirate spy!” Kaz exclaimed to BB-8. “Come on! We have to warn everyone.”

He was just heading inside when Grevel appeared. Kaz was really starting to hate the Aileenian.

“You are a slippery one.” Grevel cackled. “You had your chance to hand over the trophy, it would have settled your debt. And now, you’re going to give it to me.” He hefted the blaster. “Or I blast you and your droid.” 

BB-8 chirped nervously, hiding behind Kaz.

Grevel grinned cruelly.

“The bitch isn’t here to protect you this time.”

Before Kaz could answer, the sound of an approaching ship startled him.

He turned, dread filling his stomach.

“Pirates.”

Grevel shouted in alarm.

“It’s Kragan!”

An automated voice began to speak, telling everyone to head to the nearest designated shelter.

The pirates began to fire, throwing Kaz off his feet.

“You’re lucky this is happening, Kid!” Grevel spat. “This is not over between us!”

“We’re about to get vaporized, could you let it go already?!” Kaz demanded.

“All pilots, to your stations.” The mechanical voice instructed. 

_ It’s too late.  _ Kaz thought, watching as a pirate ship hurtled towards him.  _ I’m going to die. _

He closed his eyes, hearing a single blaster shot.

Kaz opened his eyes, in time to see the pirate ship plummet into the water.

He turned around.

Kira was crouching on top of a crate, her rifle aimed in the air.

_ She just shot down a pirate ship. _

“BB-8!” She shouted. “Can you open the doors?”

The droid squealed in reply.

A blast flung both Kaz and Grevel into the air.

Kira watched in shock as the pair landed on the lead pirate ship. She watched helplessly as the ship banked, flinging Kaz and Grevel back onto the platform.

_ Only with Kaz. _ Her mind whispered.

“Come on!” She shouted, grabbing BB-8 and heaving him inside.

Kaz dove in beside her, as the doors began to close.

“No! Hold the Door!” Grevel shouted.

“I don’t know how!” Kaz replied.

Kira was surprised when the boy suddenly dug out his trophy, and wedged it into the door.

The Aileena squeezed inside, and took off down the hall without a second glance.

“You’re welcome!” Kira shouted, angry on Kaz’s behalf.

The boy pulled the trophy loose.

“Whew. I told you this thing was lucky, BB-8.”

Kaz sighed in relief.

“You were amazing-” He cut off as he saw the blood streaming down Kira’s right arm. The gash looked deep, and painful.

“What happened.”

“Ah, shrapnel.” She shrugged. “It’s not bad, all things considered.”

She looked out the window.

“We have to do something.”

Kaz sighed, and then perked up.

“Hallion’s comm.”

Kira understood immediately.

“Go.” She told him.

She had to hand it to Kaz. It had been a brilliant idea.

The pirates had been forced to retreat.

As she finished wrapping the bandage around her arm, she nodded to Kaz, feeling a newfound respect for him.

Maybe he would be okay after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love comments, so if you would like to let me know what you think. I would appreciate it.


	4. Fuel for The Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira and Kaz have a fight over Kaz's new friend, Rucklin.

It had taken all of two engines for Kira to decide she hated posing as a mechanic.

She snarled, hissed, and kicked at the stubborn piece of equipment.

Black smoke puffed out at her face.

“Well fuck you and the Eopie you rode in on.” Kira snapped back at it. It may have been childish, but it made her feel better.

“I do not think it rode in on anything, Kira.” Neeku’s voice explained.

“It’s just a saying, Neeku, to express my undying hatred for this thing.”

“If you hate it so much, why are you here?”

“To help Kaz.” She replied, gritting her teeth in frustration as she struggled to loosen a bolt.

Kaz glared down at the engine he was fixing. Even Kira had managed to fix hers, after much cursing and threatening, and swearing revenge.

Then there was the quick detour that it had taken into the water, after he’d tried to watch the race.

Then the scolding from Yeager.

He sighed, and sat beside Kira at the counter at Aunt Z’s.

“Hey Kira.”

She glanced up at him, and raised an eyebrow. “Hey?”

“Can I join you?”

She shrugged. “I guess. I don’t understand why you would want to hang out with me, though.”

“Yeah, about that… You can pretend to be heartless all you want. You’re not fooling me. You’re a good person, you can deny that, but you are.”

She tilted her head, then she smiled. Kaz had to fight back the urge to whoop.  _ She’d finally smiled. _

“Well then, I suppose I can tolerate your presence.” She said, but her voice had lost it’s razor edge.

A hand on his shoulder startled him. Kaz looked up to see a blond boy, about his age, smiling.

“Hey.” He said. “My friends and I were just talking about you. You flew in that sky race against Torra, right? You’ve got some skill. What’s your name?”

“Kazuda Xiono.” Kaz said, feeling chuffed with the compliments. “Just call me Kaz. And this is Kirana Valarien.”

“Jace Rucklin. I’m a racer too.” He turned his gaze to Kira, flashed a charming smile. “My friends call me Jace.”

Though she took the offered hand, her lilac eyes stayed cool. “I’m sure they do.” She said, and stood up. “I’m heading back, see you later, Kaz.” She said, with a nod.

Rucklin watched her go. Then he looked back at Kaz. “Brrr. Now, she’s an Ice Queen.”

“She’s not.” Kaz said, defensively. “She just takes awhile to… get to trust strangers.” 

“If you say so.” Rucklin shrugged. “Anyway, wanna meet my team?”

Kira found herself oddly worried for Kaz. There was something… off-putting, about Rucklin. He was trying too hard to be nice.

It struck her that this was rather sad, that she found friendliness suspicious. But something about the boy didn't sit right with her. Besides, this was Castilon, a place known for its harshness.

_ Oh yes, Kira. You fit right in.  _ She sneered at herself, and went back to work, or rather, loathing the engine before her. When she tried to start it up, it sparked, then died.

Frustrated, she kicked it.

“Not the kind of skills I’m looking for in a mechanic.” Yeager’s voice said dryly. “You need to have patience with these things, get your mind off of spying while you work on it, Kirana. And keep your rather bad temper in check.”

“Don’t you have better things to do than criticizing me?” She demanded, turning to face him. “Like, running your shop?”

“I’m doing this as a favor for Poe. I’ve taken you on, and that gives me the right to point out faults.” Yeager said it calmly, but she saw the temper in his eyes.

“Fine. Condemn my mechanical skills all you want, but leave my personality out of this.” She snapped, and turned back to the engine, furious. She heard Yeager sigh. “That’s not what I meant, Kira. I meant, please stop kicking the engines that people are paying us to fix.”

Kira glanced back at him. “But it’s so satisfying.” She complained. Then she sighed. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. I’ve never been that good with criticism.”

“You mean, from others.” Yeager said calmly. “Because from what Poe says, you’re very hard on yourself.” He offered her a smile, patted her shoulder, and headed away before she could answer.

Kaz couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Whoa! Nice bikes!”

“Think you can handle it?” Rucklin asked, hopping on to his.

“I’m thinking... _ Yeah _ !” Kaz grinned, climbing onto the blue one.

Rucklin just smiled, and as the bikes revved up, Kaz felt a thrill run down his spine. They shot over the water smoothly, and Kaz grinned.

“Alright, first one to that sky ring is the winner.” Rucklin told him.

“Alright.” Kaz agreed, as the other boy pulled ahead.

“Be waiting for you there, Kaz.” He teased. 

As Kaz went to pass, Rucklin veered in front of him. “Sorry, can’t let you pass. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with second place.”

“And…  _ now!” _ Kaz said to himself, and brought the bike up over Rucklin, landing down in front.

His good mood was short lived, however, as a jolt shuddered through the bike, and black smoke began pouring from one of the vents.

“Rucklin, there’s something wrong with my bike!” He cried, trying to slow down, ease back,  _ anything. _ He couldn’t.

“I can’t stop it!”   
“Yeah right.” Rucklin called. “No excuses.”

“I’m serious!” Kaz yelled. “If I hit the water at this speed, I’m done!”

Rucklin started to pull up beside him, seeming to realize what Kaz meant.

“Hang on!” He called. “I’ve got you.”

Kaz let out a yelp as the ship shuddered, and strained towards Rucklin’s hand.

With a shout, he jumped onto Rucklin’s craft, just as his shuddered, and crashed into the water.

“Are you alright?” Rucklin asked.

“Oh man, Rucklin.” Kaz panted. “You saved my life!”

“No problem.” Rucklin told him. “That’s what friends do.”

Kira looked up as Yeager all but dragged Kaz into the workshop. She winced as she listened to the scolding.

With a sigh, she headed over, wondering if there was some way she could make Kaz feel better.

“Don’t worry about it, Kaz. It’ll be okay.” She offered.

Then she headed after Tam, to see what could be done about helping the other girl with her work.

Yeager had finally taken pity, and sent Neeku to help Kira with her own engine, which was now, praise the Maker, finished.

“Those young people are not all they appear to be.” Neeku told Kaz.

“They’re lazy, always laughing, playing pranks on others, never focusing, and having all kinds of fun.”

“Yeah, yeah. That sounds terrible.” Kaz said sarcastically. “Hey Neeku, could you pass me a tool from that box? I can’t remember what it’s called though.”

Kaz smiled, and, despite BB-8’s protests, began to creep off as Neeku held up various tools.

Kira was more than a little pissed off to see Kaz sneaking off,  _ again. _

_ How many times does he need to see Rucklin anyways? _ She wondered, and began to follow him.

“Are you really sneaking out again?” She hissed, and Kaz yelped.

“Maker, Kira. Don’t sneak up on people like that.”

“I’m not sneaking.” She told him. “I’m looking out for your well-being.”

“How?”

“Rucklin’s shifty. I don’t like him.”

“You didn’t like me either.” Kaz pointed out.

“No.” Kira corrected. “I didn’t think you were right for this mission, there’s a difference.”

“Lighten up, Kira. It’s called being friendly. Which seems to be an unfamiliar concept to you.” He said, showing irritation with her for the first time.

Her stomach tensed up with anger. She advanced a step on Kazuda.

“I’m the way life has made me. Sorry it doesn’t suit you.” She snapped, and stormed off, before she did something she’d regret.

It didn’t matter anyway, she decided. Watching out for Kazuda Xiono wouldn’t change that she’d been unable to save Naron.

Besides, Kazuda obviously had much better things to do than listen to her.

  
  


Kaz watched her disappear around the corner with a sigh.

He noticed BB-8 had turned towards him.

“Okay. I shouldn’t have said that. But what’s her problem anyway?”

The droid chirped in response.

“Well, I guess it’s nice she’s trying to protect me, but why is she so… edgy?” Kaz asked, still irked. The droid beeped again.

“Who? Who did she lose?”

BB-8 warbled out a reply. 

“Kira had a brother?” Kaz asked, surprised. BB-8 did not elaborate, just followed him down the hall to Rucklin’s shop.

“You guys hungry?” Kaz asked. “‘Cause I could do with some Aunt Z’s.”

“Sorry Kaz.” Rucklin said. “I have a race starting soon. Maybe later?”

“You’re competing? That’s… great.” Kaz tried to hide his disappointment. “Good luck with the race.”

Tam could barely understand what Bucket was saying. His frantic chatter was a mile a minute.

“Bucket. Slow down. What do you mean the Hyper Fuel is gone? Are you sure?”

Bucket’s reply was unflattering.

“This is bad.” Neeku said. 

“We’ve got to find that Hot Sauce.” Tam hissed under her breath.

“What hot sauce?” Kazuda asked, walking up.

“Hyper fuel.” Neeku explained. “It has a tendency to cause blow ups. Yeager had a batch for safe-keeping. But Bucket says someone stole it.”

“Rucklin.” Kaz said aloud. “Oh no. He said there was a race starting soon.”

“If anyone tries to use it without knowing how…” Tam trailed off. “A couple of drops could turn a ship into a giant bomb.”

“B-bomb?” Kaz stammered. “I have to go. See you in a bit.” With that, he ran off.

Kira was unsurprised to hear that Rucklin had stolen Coaxium, and she had half a mind to let him blow his sorry ass into orbit.

The knowledge that Kaz had gone after him was the only reason she cared.

Having found the hallway blocked, Kira had run outside, up a service ladder, and across the roof of several facilities.

Reaching the end, and finding no ladder, she cursed, jumped over to a lower shed and then jumped the remaining distance down to the main level of the platform. She landed in a bone-jarring tuck and roll, and didn’t need a medic to tell her that she was going to feel the consequences the next morning. 

Gritting her teeth, she got up, and continued towards the racing hangar at a sprint.

Some people called out mockingly, others clapped and cheered encouragingly, but her personal favorite came from a male Twi’lek, who shouted, “What the  _ fuck _ are you late for?!”

Kira’s breath heaved, her sides felt as if they might split open, her lungs burned, and she felt sick, but she couldn’t stop.

So she pushed through the pain, and continued on.

Kaz jumped onto the wing of Rucklin’s ship just as the countdown began.

He looked into the cockpit, and at the pilot.

“Kaz? What are you doing?!” Rucklin demanded.

“Shut it down!” Kaz yelled, pounding his fist on the hood. “Now!”

His eyes landed on the lever that opened the cockpit from the outside.

He pulled it.

“Have you lost your mind? Get off my ship?” Rucklin yelled.

They launched. Instinct took over, and Kaz found himself stomping on the eject lever.

Both he and Rucklin screamed as they were launched out of the racer.

They were still ascending when Kaz heard the explosion.

As the seat began to fall, Kaz started to panic.

“Where’s the parachute?” He shouted at Rucklin.

“It was too heavy for racing!” Came the reply.

“You took it out?!”

Their fall stopped short. Looking up, Kaz realized that BB-8 had shot a cable out to them.

Only problem was, the little droid was now being dragged to the edge of the platform.

Hands suddenly appeared, grabbing the cable.

“I’ve got you. Just hang on!” Kira shouted.

Kira braced, hauling back with all her strength. Her muscles strained and screamed in protest.

She was strong enough, but both Kaz and Rucklin outweighed her by fifteen or twenty pounds at the least.

The weight suddenly eased off, and Kira opened her eyes- she didn’t remember closing them- to see Yeager had come to help her.

The minute Kaz and Rucklin were over the edge, she dropped the cable, and stumbled back, breathing hard.

“Thanks Kira. Yeager.” Kaz managed.

“Don’t forget BB-8.” Yeager told him.

“Thanks BB-8.” Kaz amended.

Kaz sprinted after Yeager.

“Yeager! Hold on! I can explain everything if you’d just…” He gave up with a sigh.

“Kaz!” Rucklin’s sharp voice startled him, and he turned to see the glaring pilot.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” The boy demanded.

“Yeah! I was trying to save you. From yourself.”

“That was my racer!” Rucklin shouted. “I poured my life into that ship, all of my savings, built every piece of it! Now it’s gone, because of you.”

“Because of me?!” Kaz demanded. “You stole the Hyper Fuel, and you blame me?”

Rucklin’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t prove I stole anything.” He said, and pushed Kaz backwards.

He was jerked backwards suddenly, and Kaz watched in awe as Kira slammed Rucklin against the wall, his jacket collar balled in her fists.

“Are you seriously this fucking stupid?” She growled. “You should be begging his forgiveness for betraying him like that, and then thank him for saving your worthless life.” 

She let go of him.

“You-” Rucklin snapped. “You’re crazy!”

“Oh I’ll fucking show you crazy.” Kira snarled. Gaava reached out, clearly to pull her away from Rucklin. 

Kira didn’t even look at her.

“You touch me, and I’ll break your wrist.” With that, she spun around, and stomped off after Yeager. 

Yeager was letting them stay. That wasn’t what Kira had been expecting. But then, none of this was what she’d been expecting.

“Hey. Kira.” Kaz sat down on her bunk beside her. “I’m sorry. About saying you weren’t friendly.”

“You were right. I’m not.” She said, then smiled slightly. “But thanks for apologizing.”

With that, they headed off for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a couple of things.  
> I decided to have Kira dislike Rucklin right from the start, those of you who have been reading "Written in the Stars" Already know how this ends.
> 
> Anyways, please leave a comment if you like this. I always love hearing what you guys think!


End file.
